Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Settle It Ends With Us Lawsuit Ahead of Trial

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled their lawsuit over “It Ends With Us,” ending a dispute that was set to go to trial just two weeks after the parties announced the deal.

CNN reported the settlement came “just two weeks before jury selection was slated to begin,” with “Details of the settlement agreement” not immediately available.

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The Hollywood Reporter likewise said the parties issued a joint statement on Monday announcing the deal, adding that “Terms weren’t disclosed.”

USA Today reported the settlement was reached “May 4” and confirmed it covered “Lively's breach of contract and retaliation lawsuit,” while also noting that “Details of the settlement were unspecified.”

Multiple outlets quoted the same joint statement language, including that “The end product – the movie It Ends With Us – is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life.”

The statement also said, “We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard,” and it added, “We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.”

It concluded with the hope “that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”

The legal battle began in late 2024, when Lively filed complaints alleging misconduct during and after the production of “It Ends With Us,” which she costarred in and Baldoni directed.

CNN said the dispute started “in late 2024” after The New York Times reported that Lively “had filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department about Baldoni’s alleged conduct during and after production of ‘It Ends With Us.’”

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CNN further described that Lively later filed a civil complaint in “New York federal court” against Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, and others.

In that complaint, CNN reported that Lively alleged Baldoni “later orchestrated a smear campaign to retaliate against her for speaking up about the alleged mistreatment,” while Baldoni “denied all the allegations.”

USA Today added that the contentious case involved “competing accounts of how their relationships broke down on the set of the 2024 Colleen Hoover book adaptation” and included allegations of “intentional reputation damage and sexual harassment.”

NBC News said the dispute had played out “in court hearings and headlines for almost a year and a half,” and it described that behind the scenes, “talks to resolve the case began in earnest last month” after a judge dismissed most of Lively’s claims.

ABC News described that the settlement followed the litigation that “kicked off in December 2024 when Lively filed a filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department in late December,” alleging “severe emotional distress.”

As the case moved toward trial, a federal judge narrowed the allegations, changing what would have been heard by a jury.

“"It Ends With Us" co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled their nearly two-year legal battle, according to a statement from their legal teams”

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CNN said that “Last month, a federal judge threw out ten of the thirteen claims in Lively’s lawsuit, including sexual harassment and defamation,” leaving three claims that were “not against Baldoni personally.”

USA Today similarly reported that “a month after U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman on April 2 effectively dismissed the bulk of Lively's legal claims,” including “sexual harassment, defamation and false light invasion of privacy.”

BBC described the same narrowing, saying that “That left in place three claims - breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation - with a civil trial in New York scheduled for 18 May.”

NBC News said the settlement talks began after “a judge dismissed most of Lively’s claims,” and it described that the teams finalized the deal Monday.

NPR added that in April, Judge Lewis J. Liman “tossed out Lively's claims of sexual harassment against Baldoni,” while allowing certain retaliation claims to proceed.

USA Today provided additional detail about why the sexual harassment claims were dismissed, quoting that Liman wrote that “the alleged misconduct took place as they filmed in New Jersey,” and that the facts “overwhelmingly point” to Lively being “an independent contractor, rather than an employee.”

Even as the trial date approached, the dispute remained defined by competing narratives and public statements from attorneys and the parties.

CNN said Baldoni “denied all the allegations,” and it described that Lively alleged he “later orchestrated a smear campaign to retaliate against her for speaking up about the alleged mistreatment.”

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In the settlement announcement, the joint statement repeated a theme of workplace standards, saying, “We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.”

The same statement also emphasized that “Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors – and all survivors – is a goal that we stand behind,” and it said “We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard.”

NBC News quoted attorney Bryan Freedman saying his client was “feeling pretty good” about the settlement, and Freedman added that “There was a willingness to get the case resolved, given the opportunity and the position the case was set.”

Freedman also said, “when presented with an opportunity that you don't have to tell your story in front of, you know, in front of jurors and other people in a courtroom,” the team “took that opportunity.”

BBC included the statement’s language that the parties “hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace,” and it said the settlement came “just two weeks ahead of a scheduled trial.”

With the settlement, the scheduled trial and the remaining claims were taken off the calendar, closing the courtroom phase of the dispute.

“Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have ended their ‘It Ends With Us’ dispute in a settlement Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have ended their ‘It Ends With Us’ dispute in a settlement NEW YORK (AP) — Actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni agreed Monday to end their legal feud over the acrimonious production of their 2024 film “It Ends With Us,” averting a trial that threatened to further tarnish their reputations and expose the dark side of Hollywood moviemaking”

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BBC said the settlement came “just two weeks ahead of a scheduled trial, where both stars were expected to testify,” and it added that “Terms of the settlement were not made public.”

Associated Press

NPR similarly stated that “After Monday's settlement, those claims will no longer be heard in court,” referring to retaliation and breach of contract claims that had been set for jury consideration.

USA Today said the settlement was reached “weeks before they were scheduled to go to trial in New York City,” and it described that the agreement covered “Lively's breach of contract and retaliation lawsuit May 4.”

CNN said the settlement ended the case “no longer go to trial after the parties announced a settlement just two weeks before jury selection was slated to begin,” and it described that the trial would have been “the culmination of a year-long legal drama.”

NBC News reported that by Monday evening, after the joint statement, Lively appeared at the Met Gala, with the report saying she “stepped out in full glam for the Met Gala” at the “Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.”

ABC News added that the New York Times countersued Wayfarer Studios in September 2025 “asking for reasonable costs and attorney fees paid back to the New York Times,” and it said “The matter is ongoing according to the court docket.”